


An Unlikely Marriage

by ExhaustedCommonSense



Series: Wind and Flame [2]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gaila Lives, Made Up Traditions, Orion Wedding, Post-Star Trek, Pre-Star Trek: Into Darkness, Reveal, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-23
Updated: 2014-02-23
Packaged: 2018-01-13 12:17:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1225921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExhaustedCommonSense/pseuds/ExhaustedCommonSense
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How the crew of the Enterprise find out, one by one, about the Captain's wife.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bones and Pike

As soon as his debriefing was over, it was a mad dash to get to the cadet dorm rooms, hoping against hope that somehow Gaila would be there. Jim didn’t stop to reply to the various people who called his name; he didn’t even hear them since he was so focused on getting to his destination. Without pausing to knock, he entered the code that his lover had given him into the door and burst through the doorway, not even thinking of the possibility that Uhura would be there.

Thankfully, the only one in the room was the green skinned Orion that he’d been searching for. She jumped off of her bed at his arrival and through herself into his arms, great sobs shaking her body as she clung to him. He gripped her back just as tight, taking care not to press against any of the cuts or bruises he’d noticed on her skin.

“I thought I’d lost you,” Jim whispered against her hair, pressing his face into the red locks as he breathed in her unique scent.

“I was so scared,” she confessed into his chest, allowing him to seat them on the bed and looking up to meet his eyes. “The ship exploded around me and I thought I was going to die. It was only by luck that I was next to an escape shuttle. Only twelve of us survived.”

They sat in silence for a while, silently mourning the people who hadn’t been saved. Contrary to what people might have thought, their relationship had never been just about sex. They had been in a monogamous relationship for two years; of course they both looked at other people, but they never did more than flirt unless they were open to the idea of a threesome.

“Marry me,” Jim suddenly said, reaching down to clasp her hands. They had already discussed their future together and both of them knew that they would get married someday. “Marry me today, the Orion way, just like we planned.”

“Yes,” she silenced him before he could continue, a bright grin lighting up her face as she let out a watery laugh. “Yes, of course I will. If we go now we can be married before the end of the night.”

Jim laughed, standing up and spinning her around in joy. “Brilliant! Bones will already be at the hospital, we’ll just have to hope Pike’s up to it.”

“He will be,” Gaila assured him, leaning up to kiss him.

When discussing their wedding, they had agreed that it would be done the Orion way; which meant that the only people involved would be the couple and the person marrying them. Gaila had proposed the idea that Pike be the one to perform the ceremony since she knew how much he meant to Jim and he was a Captain, so he would be able to do it. They’d agreed to stretch Orion tradition a little by inviting Bones to join them; he was the only one to know the true extent of their relationship and he’d always supported them.

“Bones!” Jim called out, catching his attention before the doctor could bustle off into another room. Leonard turned in their direction, a wide grin splitting his face as he saw them standing there with their hands clasped together.

“Gaila!” He cried, pulling her into a hug. He adopted his normal stern expression after letting her go. “Don’t scare me like that again, sweetheart.”

“Is Pike okay?” Jim demanded once they’d finished their reunion. “Is he awake?”

“He’s recovering,” Bones told them. “He’s certainly awake; been complaining non-stop about being confined to his bed.”

“Great!” Gaila beamed, hooking her arm into the Doctor’s. “Lead the way.”

Bones did as he was told, leaving Jim to trail after them in amusement. The Captain was still awake when they entered his room; he was glaring at the plate in front of him, but he brightened up a bit when he saw who had entered his room.

“I don’t suppose you’ve come to release me have you, McCoy?” He questioned. “If I get interrogated by one more doctor that wants to judge my mental state, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

“Sorry Captain Pike,” Gaila spoke up, smiling fondly at the injured man. “I’m afraid Leo’s here on our request.”

“What do you want from me?” Pike asked suspiciously, eyeing the smirk on Jim’s face as the cadet stepped forward. “You’ve already wrecked my ship.”

“We wanted you to marry us,” Jim announced, taking hold of Gaila’s hand and ignoring Leonard’s muttered ‘About bloody time’. “We want an Orion ceremony and we want you to do it.”

Pike stared at them for a few seconds in stunned silence before throwing his head back and laughing. Once he’d calmed down, he agreed to perform the ceremony then and there, not even questioning Bones’s presence. “No one will believe this,” he chuckled. “Jim Kirk getting married, you must be quite the woman, Gaila.”

“It will be strange to have a last name,” she mused, handing Pike the PADD that he’d need. It had the ceremony they wanted downloaded onto it along with what part he’d need to play in their wedding. “Though it will be much quicker than having to list my ancestors and clan every time I introduce myself.”

Orion weddings were much simpler than those performed on Earth; they promised to share everything they owned and care for any new members of their clan, whether they were of blood relation or not. When an Orion married, they created a new clan of their own; their clan would start small with just the couple and any offspring, but would gradually grow larger as friends, family or other couples joined. Rather than starting their own clan, some couples could choose to join an already formed clan if they had strong connections to someone in that clan and they were accepted.

For Jim and Gaila, they had decided to start a new clan under the Kirk name, which meant that Gaila could take his last name while still keeping to Orion tradition. They signed the forms that would legalise everything; officially announcing them as James T. Kirk and Gaila Kirk of the Kirk clan. By signing the forms connected to their marriage, everything they owned would be declared as shared and any money they had or earned was pooled.

Bones also signed a few forms after the wedding, grumbling in fake displeasure while he did so. He’d already agreed that once they were married he would join their clan since he knew how much it meant to Gaila; it would declare him to be family and meant that on any official documents, his name would be changed to Leonard H. McCoy of the Kirk clan.

“Thank you!” Gaila darted forward and kissed Pike on his cheek before doing the same to McCoy. “Let’s go, husband, we need to get our markings!”

“Markings,” Bones rolled his eyes as Jim was dragged out of the room by his new wife. “I’m sure one of the reasons he agreed to an Orion wedding was for the tattoos.”

Sure enough, Gaila lead Jim to a special tattoo parlour where the tattoo artist specialised in Orion wedding marks. Orion wedding marks were of the element that represented each partner; elements meant a lot to Orions; they believed that a wedding would only work if the inner elements of the couple were compatible.

Jim and Gaila had chosen to get their marks done on their left legs, that way they would normally be hidden by their Starfleet uniforms. When finished, Jim had a red line that spiralled from his ankle to mid-calf and smaller spirals were drawn on the line in silver that could only be seen when inspected closely. The red represented the fact that his inner element was fire, and the spiral was the inner element of his wife; air.

Gaila was marked by silver flames that started at her ankle and ended mid-calf; smaller flame details were drawn in red and, like the silver spirals on Jim, could only be seen under closer inspection. The flames told everyone that her partner had the inner element of fire and the silver showed that her inner element was air. The two colours mixed well together, much like the elements did; they were a compatible couple by Orion standards.

“You’re mine now,” Jim whispered to her later that night as he held her in his arms. They were back at his dorm since Bones had told them that he’d crash with a friend. They didn’t want to risk Uhura kicking Jim out if they went to Gaila’s dorm. “Stuck with me forever.”

“I was stuck with you from the first time I met you,” she reminded him sleepily, curling against him and resting her head on his chest. “You saved me from those horrible men who wouldn’t accept my refusal. You didn’t once ask for a reward and only went further than flirting when I made the first move. I knew then that I wanted you to be mine.”

Her voice slowly tempered out as she fell asleep against his chest. He knew that she’d be awake again in a few hours; Orion women slept in small doses rather than one long sleep like humans. Luckily for them, Jim had been sleeping the same way for most of his life, so he would wake up when she did anyway.

“Forever,” Jim repeated, gently kissing her head. The real reason he’d wanted an Orion wedding was that Orion divorces were incredibly rare; the tattoos marked them for life and by starting a new clan, they were announcing to everyone that they believed they would be together forever and that their love could out last any problems the future could throw at them.


	2. Scotty

It went without saying that when Jim was given the _Enterprise_ , Gaila was also assigned to the starship. Neither of them wanted to be separated again, and their marriage meant that they would be kept together regardless of whether Gaila was the best person for the ship. As it was, Scotty; the chief engineer of the Enterprise, requested that she be placed on the ship as soon as Jim informed him that he had the job.

Apparently, he was impressed by the way she’d fixed the escape shuttle that had saved her life. She was thrilled that she had the job because Commander Scott wanted her rather than just because she was married to the Captain. Jim had been able to assure Scotty that she had the job without worrying that she didn’t want it; she had been worried that the engineer would be displeased at having to work with someone he hadn’t requested.

He addressed her as Ensign Gaila, and she didn’t correct him; she still wasn’t used to having a last name and it would be easier to shout a name that she would respond to straight away in case of an emergency. Engineering was no place for sentimentality; if someone needed you to move out of the way the chances were low that they’d shout your name. By the end of the first two weeks into their five year mission, everyone in engineering called each other by either their first names or a nickname.

Gaila felt lucky to be a part of their team; she was sure that engineering was the place where they had most fun on the ship. They were all a little insane; climbing the pipes and repairing things without any worries. Scotty always made sure to get the Captain’s approval before changing anything, but it was always on a need to know basis. They knew that Jim knew that the upgrades they were doing weren’t entirely legal and the parts they bought were sometimes from the shadier sides of the market, but as long as it wouldn’t damage the ship or hurt anyone, the Captain was happy to plead ignorance.

There were explosions on nearly a daily basis and they all learnt to duck quickly; things could fall from anywhere with only a curse as a warning. Scotty also had a secret project that the whole ship officially knew nothing about; this of course meant that everyone was perfectly aware that they’d modified a few replicators to give out alcohol – including Romulan ale.

“Gaila!” Scotty yelled, looking up to where she was balanced on a piece of engine, making a few corrections. It was two months into their mission, so by now Gaila knew that she wasn’t about to be shouted at for what she was doing; working with Scotty as their boss meant they all knew how far they could bend the rules.

He waited patiently while she climbed down from her perch, landing in front of him in a practised move. “What’s up, Scotty?” She asked, taking note of the slight frown on his face.

“Don’t look so worried, lass,” he smiled, waving a PADD at her. “You’re not in trouble; it’s this paperwork that’s annoying me. I need to fill in personal details for safety reasons.”

The scowl on his face made it clear what he thought of the so-called safety reasons. Gaila failed to hide her amusement; she knew that Scotty loved his job, but he always put off the things he didn’t like. “Shouldn’t you have filled them in during the first week?” She questioned.

“Aye,” Scotty nodded a little sheepishly. “But the Captain gave me some extra time; he only needs them now because the higher ups want them.”

“Right,” she smiled, thinking that her husband was such a softie when it came to his crew. “What can I help you with then?”

“Just little details,” he tapped the PADD a few times until her file came up. “I’ve managed most of it, but with you being Orion an all I’m struggling with other bits.”

One of the things Gaila liked about Scotty was that he couldn’t care less that she was Orion; he treated everyone the same and she knew for a fact that Keenser was one of his closest friends. Some people might have thought that his words sounded discriminating, but she knew him well enough to know that he didn’t mean any offense; he was just stating the fact that he didn’t know enough about Orions to fill in her file.

“Well, just tell me what needs filling in,” she told him, absently taking her hair out of its ponytail so that she could put it back in again; her hair would escape from the ponytail the longer the day went on, so it was best to put it back up again every few hours, that way it wouldn’t get in her way.

“I need your full name,” he sighed. “Your file came with a package about Orions, so I know that your name has to include your clan and I don’t think I’d be able to find all the information on my own.”

“You’re in luck,” she giggled, knowing that before she’d got married, it really would have taken ages to find her full name; she would have had to list at least five generations so that he knew what clans she came from. “I’ve recently started my own clan, so my name’s shorter than it was.”

“That’s great news,” he grinned, cheered up by the thought that he had less paperwork to do than he’d thought. “And congratulations, when was the wedding?”

“About five months before our mission started,” she informed him happily. “My name is now Gaila Kirk of the Kirk clan.”

Scotty nearly dropped his PADD in shock, quickly catching it before gaping at her. “Kirk?” He repeated, stunned. “As in Kirk, our Captain?”

“Of course,” Gaila laughed, pleased by how she’d managed to surprise him. “He proposed after the Battle of Earth. It was a very emotional day, we even convinced Leo to join the clan.”

“You’re the Captain’s wife,” Scotty muttered, clearly still stuck on that detail. “Try not to take too many risks, yeah? I don’t want to be sent back to that icy hell.”

Gaila let out a small chuckle as he walked away, climbing back up the machine with a smile on her face. It felt nice to be able to claim Jim as hers; the fact that they were married meant that no one could ever accuse them of not having a serious relationship again. Everyone who heard her name would know that Jim was hers and no one else’s.


	3. Spock

Gaila was perfectly content lounging in bed in just her underwear when the bell went. Jim was in the shower; it was one of the few times when they had been working the same shift, which meant that they had the same time off. They’d stayed in bed for a while before Jim had gone to get ready; she had wanted a little longer in bed but he’d agreed to wait for her before they went down to eat together.

Giving a small sigh, she got out of bed and gave the order for the door to open, revealing Commander Spock. She could honestly say that she hadn’t expected him; normally, if they were all off shift at the same time, Leo would come to their rooms and then eat with them. Gaila had thought that it would be the doctor behind the door, and he was used to seeing her in her underwear.

Spock, on the other hand, quickly averted his eyes, looking quite uncomfortable with her near nakedness in a way that amused her. Nevertheless, she pulled on one of Jim’s t-shirts that went to mid-thigh on her and a pair of her shorts. “I’m decent, Commander Spock, you may look,” she winked at him once he was facing her again. “Not that you have to look away in the first place.”

“I was hoping to find the Captain here,” he informed her, his face betraying no emotion, though she noticed that he glanced down at the tattoo on her leg.

“He’s in the shower,” she told him with a shrug, continuing before he could say anything. “I’ll get him for you.” She walked into the bathroom before Spock could protest. When she came back out, her t-shirt was soaked through and her hair was wet; as if she’d been pulled forward into the shower for a kiss. “He’s just getting dressed.”

“Thank you,” Spock said shortly, his eyes flickering down to her leg again. With anyone else, she would have thought that he was checking her out, but she knew that he was in a relationship with Uhura. It was more likely that he was curious about her mark; there wasn’t a lot about Orion tradition that was well known, the information was there if searched for, but most people didn’t bother to look.

“You can examine it if you want,” she offered, making sure to keep all flirtation out of her voice. “You can’t touch it, but I won’t object if you wish to get a closer look for scientific reasons.” She sat down at the small table provided and placed her left foot on the chair across from her so that her knee was bended upwards and Spock would be able to see the mark better.

Only clan members were allowed to touch something as personal as a marriage mark; Leo had examined both tattoos thoroughly to make sure they were done properly and there was no chance of infection. He checked Jim’s even more carefully since there had been a chance he would be allergic to it.

Spock stepped a little closer to see better, but he made no move to lean down and get closer. “Is it not traditional for Orions to get these marks once they are wed?” He questioned, looking away from the mark.

Gaila smiled; Jim had told her about his min meld with the older Spock and she knew that he hoped he would one day have a good friendship with this Spock. If they ended up as friends, she was hopeful that Spock would agree to join their clan, which meant that she wanted to accept him as a friend too. She already felt fond of him since he might one day be a great friend to Jim and he treated Uhura well in their relationship.

“You’re correct, Commander,” she nodded, putting her leg back on the floor and standing up. “I got this shortly after the Battle of Earth at my wedding.”

“It was my belief that once married Orions remain true to their spouse,” Spock said, clearly wondering why she was in the Captains quarters if she was already married. Before she could defend her honour and tell him that she wasn’t cheating on her husband because Jim was her husband, Jim stepped out of the bathroom in his black under t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts; his red mark clearly on show.

“Morning, Commander,” he greeted formally before turning to face his wife. “Gaila did you move my trousers?”

“Sorry, Jim,” she apologized cheerfully, going to a draw and passing him his black uniform pants. “I just can’t resist seeing you walk around pant-less.” She gave a cheery wave to Spock before pulling off her t-shirt and shorts as she walked into the bathroom for her shower.

Jim let out a noise that was a mixture of a sigh and a laugh before pulling on the trousers and then finding his gold command shirt to put on over the black t-shirt he was already wearing. “What can I do for you, Commander?”

“Commander Scott asked me to pass these plans on to you,” Spock passed him a PADD and waited patiently while Jim read through the plans and signed the bottom, giving his permission for the Scotsman’s latest change.

“Was there anything else?” Jim asked, curious as to why Spock was still in his quarters.

“I confess that I am curious,” Spock finally admitted. “I was unaware that you are married and there is no mention of it in your files.”

“We got married the day after we got the _Enterprise_ back to Earth,” Jim explained. “There was so much else going on that the files got a bit delayed. Apparently, there were a lot of weddings that week as people celebrated being alive. Admiral Pike has assured me that my file will be updated in the next week or so. We only found out it wasn’t already recorded when Scotty had to ask Gaila for her Clan name.”

Spock nodded in understanding. “There isn’t much known of Orion wedding traditions.”

Jim laughed at the hint. “Well, I’ll be more than happy to share my knowledge when we’re not on shift one day. It would be even better if Gaila could be there too; she knows more about it than I do.”

“That would be most acceptable,” Spock agreed. “May I question as to why you do not wear rings? As is traditional for married couples on Earth.”

“It was an Orion wedding,” Jim shrugged. “And we both agreed that rings would just get in the way. Our tattoos are enough for us; they symbolise our marriage like a ring would, but they won’t ever fall off or get trapped in things. It’s more practical.”

“I can certainly see the appeal of something practical,” Spock looked thoughtful and Jim wondered if it was too early in their friendship to tease him about ideas for Uhura. Gaila came back out of the bathroom before he could attempt it, this time she was entirely naked.

“Commander,” she smiled slyly. “I didn’t realize you were still here.” She made no attempt to cover herself.

“Thank you for answering my questions, Captain,” Spock said, speaking a little quicker than usual. “I will take my leave now.”

Gaila burst into peals of laughter once he was gone and was far enough away not to hear. Jim chuckled at her joy and stepped forward to kiss her. “You are a cruel woman,” he told her.

“How else was I supposed to get him to leave?” She pouted, pulling at his gold shirt. “It would have been rude to ask him to go because I wanted to spend the morning having wonderful sex with my husband.”

“I thought the plan was to go get something to eat,” Jim teased back, allowing her to pull his shirt off and push him back onto the bed.

“This was always the plan,” Gaila corrected. “We can eat later.”

Jim was undressed to his boxer shorts when the bell chimed again. “That will be Bones,” he groaned in disappointment.

“Ignore it,” she ordered, pushing him backwards so that she was straddling him.

“He’ll just come in,” he reminded her. “He has access since he’s my CMO.”

“Then he’ll get quite the show,” Gaila whispered, catching his lips in a kiss that made him forget his arguments of getting up. The second time the bell chimed, it went ignored as the couple were too busy locked in their embrace. A minuet afterwards the air was cursed blue as Bones walked in on a scene he really didn’t want to see.


	4. Uhura

Jim took one look at the angry face of Lieutenant Uhura and decided it was time to leave. She’d come storming up to where he was sat with Gaila in the rec room and the only good point was that, for once, her ire didn’t seem to be directed at him. Quickly muttering something about finding Bones, Jim did the sensible thing when confronted with an angry woman and fled.

“Coward!” Gaila called after him, causing the various people in the rec room to turn and look at them.

“Come with me,” Uhura commanded, waiting until Gaila stood up before walking away without saying anything. She led them back to her quarters and shut the door behind them before turning and glaring at her previous roommate.

“I swear I was going to give you your nail varnish back,” Gaila squeaked out, unable to think of anything else she might have done to have provoked her anger.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were getting married!” Uhura cried, her face showing her anger and hurt at being left out of something as big as that.

“Oh,” Gaila blinked, realizing what was really wrong with her friend. “Does this mean I can keep the varnish?”

“Gaila!” She snapped, her anger fading away to be replaced with hurt. “I thought we were friends. I classed you as my best friend and you didn’t even tell me you were serious about Kirk, never mind that you were going to marry him! I had to find out from Spock that you were married.”

“Of course we’re friends,” Gaila reassured, looking shocked that Uhura would think otherwise. “You’re my best friend. I didn’t tell you about Jim because you were so against him all the time, you kept telling me what a waste of space he was, how was I supposed to tell you?”

“I would have accepted it!” Uhura protested. “If you’d have explained what you saw in him, I would have understood. You didn’t even tell me you were engaged.”

“I was engaged for less than an hour and a half,” Gaila told her gently. “Jim proposed as soon as he knew I was still alive and we got married the Orion way directly afterwards. Pike performed the ceremony from his hospital bed.”

“You could have told me afterwards,” she sighed. “I would have liked to know from you rather than second hand from my Vulcan boyfriend who didn’t understand why I was so upset.”

“I’m sorry,” Gaila apologized, cautiously opening her arms for a hug. “Still my best friend?”

Uhura huffed a laugh, accepting the hug. “Of course,” she broke the hug and smiled at her. “So, an Orion wedding?”

“Yeah,” Gaila grinned. “Jim wanted to honour my heritage. Want to see my mark?”

“You know I do,” she rolled her eyes. “Does that mean you’ve formed a new clan?”

Gaila pulled her left boot off and revealed the silver flames. “Don’t touch,” she warned. “And yes, you are looking at one of the three members of the Kirk clan. Hopefully we will soon be four, maybe five.”

“It’s beautiful,” Uhura complimented before the words registered. “You’re pregnant? And you’ve already had a child?!”

“No,” she laughed, covering the mark back up with her boot. “Leo is the third member and I was hoping you’d be the fourth. Spock’s welcome if you can convince him, hence the hopeful five.”

“Me?” She repeated, stunned by the invitation. “You want me as part of your clan? And Kirk agrees?”

“I already think of you as my clan sister,” Gaila announced as if it were something obvious. “And Jim thinks you’d make a great addition to our small family. Plus, Leo is already part of it, so it’s only fair if you are too. We have the forms ready, I’ll send them to your PADD and you can talk it over with Spock.”

Gaila left her to think it through and went to find Leo and Jim, intent on warning them that they might soon have two new family members. When Spock entered Uhura’s quarters later, she was reading through the forms on her PADD with a look of shock still on her face. Spock was surprised in his own Vulcan way to hear that they’d been invited to join an Orion clan.

Uhura visited the Captains quarters the next day with her signed forms and informed them that Spock was still deciding. Gaila squealed and hugged her, welcoming her into their clan while Jim smiled at her, keeping a respectful distance. It amazed Uhura every time she signed her name that jotted on the end was ‘of the Kirk clan’.

Spock was much more discreet. A year and a half into the mission, Jim’s PADD alerted him to the fact that Spock had filled in the forms they’d given him and joined their clan. Uhura confided to Gaila later that Spock had been missing his own family clan that had been destroyed on Vulcan. It was comforting for him to be a part of a family again.

Once part of the clan, however, it meant that both were able to examine the married couple’s marks. Uhura was fascinated by the tattoos that she declared as ‘beautiful’; both Gaila and Jim agreed to sit still and allow her to get a closer look since she was able to touch them. Jim also allowed Spock to inspect his mark; the Vulcan still wasn’t comfortable around Gaila. She seemed more unpredictable than Jim; Spock could certainly see why they were together considering how alike they were.


	5. Chekov and Sulu

The _Enterprise_ was forced to make a rather hasty retreat after negotiations with a planet went belly-up. They got away with just one blast to their ship; it was absorbed by the shields and just caused the ship to rock a little as they entered warp speed. All in all, it could have gone a lot worse than it had done and even Spock agreed that they’d done everything correctly.

“Engineering to Bridge,” Scotty’s voice came over the com.

“What can we do for you, Scotty?” Jim asked cheerfully, confident that for once a mission gone wrong hadn’t resulted in any injuries or the ship being badly damaged.

“I think you need to get down to med bay, Captain,” Scotty announced nervously. “Gaila suffered a nasty fall when the ship was hit.”

“Commander Spock you have the con,” Jim called, already half way to the lift and calling Bones on his personal PADD. “Nurse Chapel, as Captain of this ship I want to know what went wrong, as Gaila’s husband I demand to know how she is.”

The answer was lost as Jim entered the lift and disappeared down to med bay. Spock got up to sit in the Captain’s chair but there wasn’t anything that needed doing until they reached their new destination. Instead, he surreptitiously brought up files about his Orion clan mate; the log information showed that Nyota had done the same thing from her station.

“I did not know the Keptin was married,” Chekov commented, breaking the silence that had fallen over the Bridge.

“Me neither,” Sulu spoke up, sounding curious. “Which one is Gaila?”

“Ensign Kirk is the woman of Orion origin who works with Commander Scott in Engineering,” Spock informed them quietly, for once not saying anything about their gossiping.

“I’ve seen them together,” Sulu nodded thoughtfully. “I guess I just never thought anything of it; I assumed they were either friends or that it wasn’t serious.”

“He must love her very much,” Chekov mused. “He looked upset to hear she was hurt.”

Jim burst into med bay and was taken directly to his wife’s side by Nurse Chapel; Gaila was sat on one of the beds being checked over by Bones. Her right arm was in a sling and Bones was using a dermal regenerator to heal up a bruise on her forehead.

“Gaila,” he stepped forward once Bones was finished and kissed her on the forehead – the side that hadn’t been bruise. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she soothed him, only to be ignored as he turned to Bones for a truthful answer.

“She’s going to be fine,” Bones sighed, injecting a hypo into her neck as he spoke. “She’s got a minor break in her arm that will heal within two weeks providing she comes down here daily for a hypo. Other than that, she had a nasty bruise on her head that I’ve healed and I’ve already given her something for the pain.”

“How did you manage to get hurt when everyone else on board is uninjured?” Jim asked, quoting the question that she frequently asked him.

“Wrong place at the wrong time,” she shrugged. “I slipped when the blast hit us. Please don’t blame Scotty; I don’t want him to go back to icy hell.”

“Of course I won’t blame Scotty,” Jim reassured her, privately wondering how much painkiller she’d been given. “I know he’d never put anyone at risk.”

“I’ll stay here with her while you finish your shift,” Bones murmured to him, talking over his protests. “We’re about to come out of warp and we both know you’d be of more use as Captain than as a worried husband.”

“Leo can look after me,” Gaila agreed, smiling up at him from her seat on the bed. “Go Captain things.”

Jim muttered under his breath about being ordered around by his own clan, but he gave Gaila one last kiss on her head and then went back up to the Bridge. Spock went back to his seat, closing the files that he’d had open and noticing that Nyota did the same.

“How is she?” Nyota asked before anyone else could. Everyone turned to look at Jim, all of them concerned for the woman that most of them had never met.

“High,” he announced tiredly. “Bones has her on painkillers. She’s got a minor break in her arm, but is otherwise fine.”

“Thank God,” Uhura sighed.

“Someone tell Scotty that I don’t blame him,” Jim rolled his eyes. “He’s under the impression I’ll send him back to Delta Vega for allowing my wife to get injured on his watch.”


End file.
